Housekeeping
by NCIS-Kingdom
Summary: Tony, McGee, and Ziva are assigned to watch over Ducky's house for him while he's away for a bit. But watching Mrs. Mallard and her Corgis is not as easy as it sounds. Satisfaction does not come effortlessly and order will be hard to maintain. Fun and quirky story revolved around the field agents. / Ducky's mother is alive. In-Progress.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a fun story I've had in mind on the field agents- kind of like my Paperwork story. The agents are going to watch over Ducky's house for him. It's quirky and supposed to be funny and I hope everyone enjoys! (It's gonna be good!)**

 _ ***Time period is when Ducky's mother is still alive.**_

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Ducky paces around in autopsy with his brow furrowed. He had his hands clasped together and was pondering furiously over his new situation at hand. He was in a fix.

He honestly had no idea how he was going to handle this- and in such a short amount of time.

He exhales and turns to his dearest friend, Jethro Gibbs, who stood stiffly by the autopsy doors- his ice blue eyes emotionless like always.

"Jethro, I just don't know what I'm going to do over the matter!" The doctor goes to adjust his spectacles before pointing to his desk which held a small stack of papers and files on it. Gibbs follows his gaze to the papers and merely blinks at them. Those files were what Ducky had been rambling over all morning long... It was these files that had caused such a decision to be made for the good Doctor Mallard.

Just this morning, he had received a letter in the mail inviting him to come and make a few speeches on psychology to some new and academically growing students at Harvard University. It was a _major_ deal for Ducky- for he had not been expecting such a sudden and tremendous honor to be bestowed upon him.

 _I mean, of all the intelligent people in this bloody world, they want me to speak for them!_ These had been Ducky's excitedly thrilled thoughts once he had read the invitation. He had recently taken psychology classes and had exceeded in them greatly- but now he was being asked to come and make some speeches about it. This was such a privilege!

He had immediately gone to call Gibbs, but now that they were here at work together, Ducky still had no idea what he was going to do for the decision. He had his large house with his dogs and his mother to think about... What would they do without him? How long would he even be gone?

 _I cannot possibly hire a maid or some sort of sitter for my mother?... She'd drive the poor care-taker insane!_ Ducky's head was whirling with so many complex questions and thoughts.

Things were far too difficult... there was so much to consider.

Gibbs, who had felt happy for his friend from the start, simply shifts on his feet a bit before shrugging at his troubled friend. He really didn't have an answer for Ducky's situation he was in. And for the record, he was also wanting to get back to the Squad Room in case his team was called into the field at any time...

The silver-haired marine clears his throat now and tips his head a bit. "It's a big choice for you to make. I mean, I know how much you care about things like this." Gibbs' voice is rather stern yet sincere.

Ducky however only frowns some more with plain worry in his eyes. He turns to speak next- his Scottish accent coming off sharply. "I cannot just leave D.C. for a few days?" His voice sounds flabbergasted. "I mean, I cannot just _leave_ Mother and the dogs alone? Who knows what could possibly happen while I'm away?" He throws his arms out as he heads for his desk now- his pace fast and fretful.

Gibbs only silently exhales again. The doctor had a point though. His large house, his mother, and his Welsh Corgis were simply too important to let alone for a while.

"Duck, I can't help ya. But I think that you need to make your mind up before your chances at speaking to those college kids slip away." The Special agent blinks earnestly. He knew that this was a critical standpoint for his friend. He knew that Ducky was undeniably excited to speak about psychology in front of those who needed it most. The older Scottish man only huffs again as Gibbs slowly gestures towards the autopsy doors next. "Can I get back to work now?"

It was this sentence that made Ducky realize just how hard he must have been making this for Gibbs. He had done nothing but thrown the weight of this mess atop of his good friend's shoulders.

"I am terribly sorry, Jethro. I-I only yearn for some advice on-" But Ducky is stopped short from Gibbs' low tone. "Hey, I think you should take this opportunity. You're obviously wanting to anyhow."

Ducky nonchalantly nods at what his friend was getting to. He did, in fact, want to accept this invitation to speak. And at some place like Harvard University? What could be better?

"Yes but... What am I to do with mother?" The doctor furrows his brow yet again- the ailing question troubling his mind for about the fiftieth time this morning...

Suddenly though, this is when Gibbs gains an idea. He nearly grins at just how ridiculous the idea is- but hey? It was the only thing he could think to do for his friend...

"Hmm... You know what?" The silver-haired marine takes a step towards Ducky and their eyes meet.

"I could always act like my team has protection duty?" The suggestion was almost completely insane- but Ducky only raises an eyebrow at the concept. "You'd what? _Protection duty?"_

Gibbs gives a small lop-sided smile. The idea didn't exactly sound 'probable' but given the circumstances... what could happen? "Yeah. I can have my team watch your house for you. It'll only be a few days?" As he starts piling out his proposition- it only seemed to actually make more and more sense. Even Ducky wasn't momentarily objecting to it.

Why hadn't Gibbs thought of this beforehand? This way, his team would be doing their good Doctor a favor while also getting 'field work' done as well...

Killing two birds with one stone. It was suitable.

"Yeah, why not Duck? Nothing to it."

...

Surprisingly enough, Ducky decides to accept Gibbs' offer and thanks him immensely over it. He couldn't express how appreciative he was towards his friend for doing such a thing. Gibbs didn't mind though- after all, his team needed something to do in the meantime anyways... Why not have his agents watch over Ducky's house for him? This way, Ducky can go and make those speeches at Harvard University- it was a brilliant plan.

 _Heck, it may even turn out to be fun for them..._ Gibbs thinks almost completely sarcastically to himself.

* * *

Gibbs had simply decided to call it his team's 'new assignment' but no sooner did he start informing his agents of their task did they start instantly gaining uncomfortable looks. It already wasn't sitting so well with them. They had definitely not been expecting this...

"You want us to do WHAT?!" Tony DiNozzo was the first to react at the sudden change of plans for the week. His mind was already in a whir of buzzing questions and objections to such an idea. "Boss hold up! Are you joking?! Tell me you're joking!" The Senior agent jumps to his feet and looks to Gibbs with petrified eyes- but his fearless leader only gives him a rugged glare.

"No DiNozzo. I'm not joking." He growls, and McGee's mouth is all the while hanging open. The lower-ranked agent tries to find his own voice next.

"B-But Boss, why not ask Ducky to just get a care-taker? They'd be more legit than us?" The Probie's question almost immediately annoys Gibbs- for he had already made up his mind. He didn't need any objections or arguments coming from his team.

 _I knew they'd do this._ Gibbs' anger practically boils over.

"Guys! We're doing something for Ducky here! He doesn't want no care-taker around his mother right now! So yes, buck up, and go home to pack! You three are being assigned 'Protection Detail' for Ducky and his household!" And with this, Gibbs finally takes his leave- his stride fast and clearly aggravated. He had made his point and wasn't about to wait around for anymore backtalk from his own field agents.

Tony, McGee, and Ziva all watch as their leader heads straight for the elevator and pounds on the button for the doors to start sliding open. They then slowly turn to look at each other with dumb-founded and petty looks. None of them liked where things were going.

"Is he SERIOUS? I cannot believe this!" Tony waits until Gibbs is fully out of plain sight until he starts practically yelling out his agonized annoyance while throwing his hands in the air.

Ziva only gives a bewildering and unsettling look. "Is this even qualified for protection detail?" The female agent raises her eyebrows with doubt and McGee only shakes his head at her in answer.

This most certainly was _not_ a correct form of protection detail. Gibbs couldn't just choose when and where to place his team without Director Leon Vance's consent?

Could he?

But then again... Gibbs was also the one who wouldn't normally ask their director for permission on things pertaining protection detail anyways. Heck, Gibbs didn't ask Vance for permission on hardly anything.

Tony continues raging on all the while- his voice taut with continuous frustration for their supposedly 'new assignment'.

"Guys, I like Ducky and all. Really, I do- but this is a little extreme!" He throws himself back into his chair again while Ziva goes to give a nod at what he was conveying. She didn't like how rude he was being at the moment- but she was also quite as appalled as he was.

"Yes, I mean... This is not a real case? So, why is Gibbs making us do this?" The Israeli looks to McGee next who always seemed to have an answer for these things.

The Probie blinks as the attention is turned onto him. He swallows. "W-Well, this is for a close friend of ours. I guess sometimes... you just have to-"

"Disregard the rules?" Ziva's voice is quick to cut in.

McGee only shakes his head though. "No...? I-I mean I would think not?"

There comes a slight pause within the chattering threesome next before McGee then tries to change the mood of everyone's reactions. "Can't be too bad though? This is Ducky anyways... He'd honestly do it for us." He even attempts a small smile- but Tony only rolls his eyes at the Probie.

"Are you done yet? Because I seriously can't imagine things being 'not too bad'. Have you ever even spent one full day with Ducky's mother?" The Senior agent has his expression dull and miserable-looking. He leans forward. "One word Probie: It's _bad._ "

McGee only immediately screws up his face in confusion. "Tony... B-But that's two words?"

Tony blinks as he ponders for a moment on what he exactly just said before finally shrugging. "Oh, whatever! You get what I mean!"

Ziva's voice then cuts into the ongoing quarrel- her head tipping to one side. "You've spent a day with Ducky's mother before?"

Tony looks to her and throws his head back some. "Sure did. Actually, now that you mention it, it was another Protection Detail job." He pauses as he thinks back to the past. "Was a long time ago though- thank the high heavens!"

Finally, at this remark, McGee just gruffly gives a scoff. "Okay, now you're just being rude." He then turns to Ziva and adds, "Trust me; it won't be that bad."

The woman only nods- though she still held her doubts. "I guess... we should just go home and pack then? Let's just hope Vance doesn't find out about this..."

As the three agents begin grabbing their things though, Tony couldn't help but throw Ziva one last glance before saying, "Gibbs can honestly get anything by anyone in my opinion. He's got that much skill. And you _know_ he's got his mind set on doing this favor for Ducky..."

Ziva blinks to him in response and simply nods out of agreement. He was right. Gibbs would know just what to say if Vance were to find out about this.

So why were the three of them making this such a big deal? Watching Ducky's house while he goes away for a bit didn't seem _that_ bad, did it?

The agents then head for the elevator together- their minds all on the very same thing practically. What on earth was this going to be like..

Things were about to get interesting.

 **A/N: Hope you like where this is going. I got the idea from the episode of Meat Puzzle. Thought it would be neat to see a longer version of watching Ducky's house- and with the difference of Ziva being there. Just something fun.**

 **I cannot wait to write more; next we'll be getting into the interesting part of the story. Stay tuned and thank you for anyone who leaves me a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

 **A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for any/all reviews! Makes me so happy. Hope you enjoy my story.  
**

Tony pulls up rather slowly to the spectacularly large house of the Mallards. He jerks the car to a halt and instantly notices another car already parked in the spacious drive-way. He almost suppresses a lame laugh.

 _Pssh. The probie must be eager to please..._ He rolls his eyes and sluggishly gets out of the car to grab his things. He was NOT looking forward to this so called 'Protection detail'.

He had been assigned Protection Detail to Ducky's mother a long time ago... but he never would have thought that he'd be forced to it again.

As he goes to close the trunk of the car, he suddenly becomes aware of the few people standing on Ducky's doorstep/porch area. He blinks as he recognizes Gibbs, Ducky, and of course... McGee. They were in a small circle with Ducky chattering on and on about his expectations of this 'housekeeping' job.

Tony merely snorts as more distaste clouds his emotions.

 _Ziva must be taking her sweet little time to get here.. Heck, I don't blame her though._ He thinks to himself before lifting his backpack onto his shoulders. He then starts trudging up to the already-accumulated group.

Ducky immediately notices his presence and beckons the Senior Agent forward. "Anthony! Dear boy, I am ever so grateful that you all have agreed to do this." The ever faithful Dr. Mallard gives a welcoming smile and both Gibbs and McGee turns to look at their new arrival as well.

"Glad you could make it DiNozzo." Gibbs almost loosens a smirk at Tony's disdain for doing this. McGee on the other hand only grins smugly at his down-looking friend. "Cheer up Tony! Ducky won't be long! Actually, he just finished telling me of his accomplishment on gaining the privilege to speak at Harvard." McGee gives an impressed look back at Ducky, and Tony only perks his head up a bit. "What? Harvard?" He questions.

Ducky shrugs out of modesty. "It's nothing much. Just a few speeches to be given is all." He then gestures back into his household- the door parted for the agents who would be keeping an eye on the place. "My mother is watching Jeopardy at the moment... yes, her favorite it would seem. She unfortunately insisted on not coming out to meet you all for an unknown reason." Ducky mildly gives an exhale before nodding at McGee. "I hope she doesn't give you all too much trouble."

McGee only shakes his head though. "No way. Never Mrs. Mallard?"

At his remark though, Tony only feels like clenching his jaw out of disagreement... but he keeps his cool. Ducky lastly points to the inside of his house again and informs the agents, "I've left a list of things you all should more than likely complete. It's a step by step procedure. Can't be too hard to understand."

Tony and McGee only go to share a look with each other. It is then when another car pulls up- rather quick as well. The car jerks to an abrupt stop and instantly out pops the pretty Israeli agent. She waves at everyone before going around the car to get her things.

McGee smiles at how everyone was here now. He turns to Ducky next and gives him a reassuring look. "We'll take care of everything Ducky. And we'll do everything on your list."

Gibbs only nods at the Probie while Tony continues standing there with a blank expression.

Next Ziva finally joins the team at the foot of the steps- her dark brown hair shining within the evening sun. "Shalom Ducky, I am reporting for duty and I am glad that I can help." She gives him a friendly smile and Ducky returns her greeting with a chuckle. "I-I can't express my gratitude, honestly-" The Doctor attempts to start thanking everyone yet again but Gibbs finally cuts in and gestures towards the watch on his wrist. "Don't wanna be late, Duck. Might as well get going."

Ducky takes a breath before finally conceding. He gives a nod. "You're very right Jethro. Take care everyone, and don't forget to continuously let the dogs out! Err, Tyson may give you a little trouble at first because he's stubborn and doesn't like to get his paws dirty from-"

"Duck!" Gibbs throws his arms out and almost even gives a smile at his old friend.

"O-Oh, right." Ducky then adjusts his bow-tie before starting down the steps at last.

Ziva and McGee turns to watch their colleague go- however, Tony on the other hand is already staring into the large house through the parted doors. He swallows as he begins having flashbacks of when he had to watch over Ducky's mother for him... Why couldn't he get these thoughts out of his head? Perhaps things would be different this time... And he knew that Ducky really needed the help at the moment.

"Take care! We've got everything under control!" McGee's voice calls out as Ducky goes to climb into the seat of his ever-so-regal Morgan.

Once the good doctor is finally down the driveway and out of sight- Gibbs finally turns to his team and gives them a look of exceptional expectation. He nearly exhales.

"I hope you three can really pull this off..." These are his first words.

Immediately Tony gives his boss a look of bewilderment though. He practically gapes. "B-Boss? Us _three?_ W-Well what about you?" he couldn't believe it. Was Leroy Jethro Gibbs seriously about to leave him here alone? With _only_ McGee and Ziva?!

Ziva is just as confused. She furrows her brow and crosses her arms. "Yes, I thought you would be helping with the protection detail?"

Gibbs only shifts on his feet though. He shrugs before finally drawing the conclusion to this nightmare. "Nope. Just you three." He pauses before continuing, "I have to maintain some things back at the office. Besides, you all are cut out for this. Right?" He flashes McGee a look and the Probie only avoids the higher-rank agent's gaze.

"W-Well I-I _did_ tell Ducky that we could manage..." McGee almost hangs his head out of shame. Suddenly this whole thing had a new outlook to it. Without Gibbs, who would be keeping the order? Who would be in charge?

But deep down... everyone truly knew how this was going to play out. Nobody wanted to face the facts.

Gibbs slowly turns and lands his gaze on Tony next. The Senior agent swallows hard and feels like disintegrating on the spot.

"DiNozzo will be in charge while I'm not here. I expect everyone to maintain order and do this right for Ducky." The boss finally asserts his conclusion to this assignment and then files his steely eyes over the rest of his team.

Ziva only frowns out of objection though. "B-But Gibbs! Perhaps I should be in charge? Because Tony-"

But she is cut off from a quick glare.

She grumbles and clenches her fists together. "Nevermind."

McGee and Tony just look to each other and Gibbs simply gives one last firm nod at the begrudging team. "I'll be by sometimes to check up on things but I mean..." He pauses for an eerie moment before leaning into the cluster of agents. "Come on guys. This is easy. Just do a good job." He looks at them as if they were kids who were being expected to color inside the lines of their coloring pages...

How much more did he have to say to get his agents' confidence up?

What could possibly go wrong here?

He points inside and also adds, "Remember, Ducky even left a list of what to do. Just follow the instructions. You'll be fine."

And then, without further words of encouragement- Gibbs finally decides to head down the steps. He starts for his NCIS government issued car and all the while Tony, Ziva, and McGee just turn to look at each other.

Could they really be expected to do this with 'Tony DiNozzo' as their substitute leader for the time being?

McGee lets out a small sigh before finally breaking the ever-lasting silence between the three of them. "Okay. So first thing's first; we should head inside and decide our rolls."

The probie sounded like he had been thinking things through already and both Ziva and Tony just turn to blink at him.

"Rolls?" Ziva questions bleakly.

"Yeah, like... someone should be responsible for watching Ducky's mother for a bit, and someone else can watch the dogs. And the last person can be in charge of keeping the house clean and in order." McGee finishes his proposition with a raise of his eyebrows as in 'Why not?'

"Later on, we can simply trade off?" He adds rather thoughtfully.

Tony however only scowls at the Probie's idea. He scoffs. "Excuse me? Whose in charge here? You or me?" The Senior agent clearly didn't like being told what to do and McGee only rolls his eyes. "Hey, it was only a suggestion?"

"Yeah, well, _I'm_ in charge here. And I say we just go inside and do what Ducky's list says and... go from there." DiNozzo wavers his gaze from the frowning McGee to the silent Israeli. Nobody really seemed keen on 'agreement' at the moment.

Finally though, Ziva just runs a frustrated hand through her curly hair. She sighs before looking to Tony. "Perhaps we will just look at the list then, yes?"

At this, McGee only throws his hands out- though he doesn't persist in arguing.

"Good. It's settled." Tony nods at the woman as suddenly a low growl comes from the direction of the doorway.

Instantly, the three agents turn to see one of Ducky's Corgis standing at the entry- its dark eyes glistening.

McGee quickly looks to Tony and raises a baffled eyebrow. "So uhh... Does anyone know which one this might be?"

The dog continues growling and even gives a sharp bark before turning and disappearing back into the large interior.

Ziva shares a look with Tony before the agents finally advance and enter the house. DiNozzo leads the way in- and cautiously glances around the rather glamorous-looking home. If one thing was for sure, Ducky's mother had some good taste in house-picking... their home was huge!

The team admires the house for a moment- even though they've all seen it before. McGee then turns and closes the large doors; which instantly causes for the sound of pattering paws to become existent.

Tony nearly jumps as suddenly all of Mrs. Mallard's Corgis comes rushing around the corner- their small stubby tails wagging furiously.

McGee and Tony both share a small uneasy look before the Probie tries to address the 'welcoming' dogs. He attempts a smile at them. "Oh uh, hey there boys!... A-And girls?" McGee blinks at the dogs before awkwardly moving behind both Tony and Ziva...

Ziva only raises her eyebrows at the two before turning her attention back onto the dogs. "Wow. That is a lot of Corgis."

After another brief minute of a silent face-off between dogs and agents, Tony finally gains the nerve to set his bags down onto the foyer's floor- and upon doing so, this causes for one or two Corgis to come and sniff the bags conspicuously. The Senior agent quivers uncomfortably before slowly turning to his co-workers behind him. "Find the list. We're gonna need it."

 **A/N: Stay tuned for more! Wonder how the agents will handle this haha.  
**

 **Also, I'd like to seriously thank everyone for the kind reviews so far! Makes me so ecstatic!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Upon the sound of the front doors closing, Ziva, McGee, and Tony are all greeted by five excited Welsh Corgis. None of the agents seemed too prepared for this. They needed to find that instruction list that Ducky wrote for them- and fast.

"O-Okay so... um..." McGee shifts behind Tony and Ziva a bit; not liking the way the dogs were idly staring at him.

Ziva quickly notices the men and their unease with the dogs so she simply gives a chuckle and says, "Here, I'll go find Mrs. Mallard and tell her we're here. Hopefully the dogs will follow me. You two on the other hand, can go and find Ducky's list." She gives them an encouragingly playful look. "Perhaps it will be in the kitchen, yes?"

Tony and McGee exchange glances with one another before finally agreeing with a shake of their heads.

They then watch as Ziva pats her knee and bends down to say hello to the still-awaiting Corgis. "Hey everyone! Let's go find Mrs. Mallard, alright?" she uses a 'doggy-voice' to talk to them and instantly the canines begin wagging the stubs of their tails.

The Israeli then walks off and disappears around a corner within the great house; the small pack of dogs simply huddling around her- leaving Tony and McGee standing awkwardly in the foyer together.

After a small moment, Tony immediately turns to the Probie with a rather taken aback expression. He smirks. "Did you hear that? I can't believe Ziva David just used dog-talk."

McGee instantly furrows his brow in confusion. "Dog-talk?"

"Yeah. Didn't you hear her? It's when people change their voices? Like whenever they talk to dogs or kiddies?"

Again, McGee's face warps with confusion.

"Kiddies?"

The Senior agent narrows his eyes next. "Yeah. Kiddies. Toddlers. You know, the whole sha-bang." He then points in the direction of the kitchen. "Whatever, let's go before the dogs come back."

He leads the way into the large regal kitchen area; the white tile glimmering upon their entrance. Tony nearly feels his mouth run dry at the elegance of the Mallard home. He couldn't help but feel a slight enthusiasm spark his interest for the place. Ducky had always been a regal man but- _this?_ This was far more than 'regal'. This was far more DiNozzo's style...

"Donald?"

Suddenly, an elderly voice comes ringing through the house. Both Tony and McGee jerk their heads behind them to instantly find Ducky's mother standing in the foyer and staring straight into the kitchen at the newcomers- Ziva was behind her with a baffled and somewhat ill expression. The Corgis were also grouped around the older woman below- their tongues lolling.

McGee blinks with astonishment at how fast the woman moved. He nearly gapes. "H-How-? W-Where did you come from?"

Ziva only goes to pinch the bridge of her nose. She had obviously found Mrs. Mallard rather quickly upon her splitting up from the two men- but, circumstances being, the woman had probably just ignored her.

"You're not Donald? DONALD!?" Victoria Mallard's eyes grow round and she furrows her wrinkly brow at the two male agents who were merely taken aback by her sudden appearance.

Tony all the while was beginning to have flashbacks from the past like earlier. He did _not_ want to play the Italian Furniture Mover for her again...

 _Perhaps she won't recognize me?_ He thinks hopefully.

He bites his tongue and grinds his teeth a bit before finally stepping forward to give a more formal introduction. They needed to get things straight here.

He clears his throat.

"Hi Mrs. Mallard! We're from NCIS!" He talks slowly, so that the woman can understand him. "And we work with your son, Ducky! E-Err, I mean, Donald! We're here to-" But unfortunately, Tony is cut off by a fling of Victoria Mallard's wrist. "Get out of here! You trespasser! And what have you done with my Donald?!" She glares at him before adding, "I'm not falling for any of your scheming tricks, young man!"

Tony nearly jolts backwards as two of the Corgis instantly begin growling next. He frowns and throws his hands up at the assertive dogs. This was not what he'd been expecting for a warm welcome.

"No, no, no, no! I-I'm nice! I'm not a trespasser!" Tony then hurriedly attempts to shift behind McGee for protection, but the Probie is only just as fretful and begins fidgeting as well.

"W-We're not here to harm you, or your dogs!" McGee tries to take over Tony's attempt at connecting with Mrs. Mallard but the woman just keeps staring at them as if they were complete lunatics.

"My word! You all are bandits! Ruffians! Get out of my house!" She raises her voice to a demanding yell which only causes for another stir within the dogs. Finally though, Ziva has had enough. She steps forward and places her hands rather firmly onto Mrs. Mallard's shoulders and gives her a slight shake. This instantly gets her a glare from the woman but the Israeli only continues. "Hey! We're here to protect you. We've been sent by Donald Mallard and we are friends. We will only be around for a little while so please try and accept us into your home. Got it?"

Tony and McGee's jaws both simultaneously drop from their co-worker's approach. How could Ziva do such a thing?

However, as if by chance, this approach sort of startles Mrs. Mallard into calming herself. She steps away from Ziva before finally turning back to the male agents and squinting at them. "A-Are you all here to unclog the toilets?"

At this, Ziva simply gives a heavy exhale- clearly she was not enjoying this short-term-memory loss from Mrs. Mallard.

Luckily though, McGee just uses this change of mood to their advantage. He begins nodding furiously. "Yes! We're here to do that and _much more_. Think of us as.. um... Your personal house-keepers!"

Right as the words leave the Probie's mouth though, both Tony and Ziva turn and give him a death-look; nonetheless, Mrs. Mallard finally buys this. She gives a small firm nod. "Well! It's about time you all got here! I suggest you do your business!"

And with that, she then starts walking and practically shoves her way past Tony and McGee.

All three agents turn and blink at her before looking to each other again. Once she is completely out of sight, they form a small huddle.

"Seriously Probie? House keepers? _Toilets?"_ Tony couldn't help but nag at McGee instantly but Ziva only ignores this remark and looks to the empty-hands of her co-workers. She raises her eyebrows expectantly. "Where is Ducky's list? Did you find it yet?"

McGee and Tony both slowly go to exchange glances before suddenly the sound of barking interrupts them.

They turn to find that the Corgis had not followed Mrs. Mallard off into the large house. They were all just sitting and staring at the agents from the kitchen.

Tony instinctively nudges Ziva forward and almost shifts a bit. He practically felt like running for it... he hated dogs truthfully. But they really did need to find that list already!

The female agent only turns to narrow her eyes at him before starting towards the kitchen next. "If you two are so afraid of these dogs and cannot find the list; I shall find it." She begins looking to the counter tops and all the while McGee and Tony are both still standing in the foyer. Their main problem wasn't typically with small dogs like Corgis... however, these fiery pets seemed somewhat different and not so friendly at the moment. Neither Tony nor McGee wanted to take any chances right now.

Ziva, doing practically everything by herself, scans the remaining counter tops before finally looking to the refrigerator. Finally, her eyes land on a sheet of paper hanging from the fridge. She smirks to herself. "Found it!" She beckons to both the remaining agents before taking the paper off of the fridge.

McGee and Tony slowly advance into the kitchen next and towards her until they are finally back at her side.

"This is it?" Tony attempts to grab the paper from Ziva's hands, but she is too quick and avoids his attempt.

"Yes. It is a list of all the things that Ducky wants us to accomplish while we're here." She begins scanning through the instructions when suddenly there comes some more barking.

The group of agents turn to notice the five Corgis still clustering around their feet.

McGee gives a frown at the miniature dogs. How were they ever going to get anything done with the Corgis constantly cluttering at their feet?

Finally, the Probie lifts his head and gives Ziva a look. "How about we put them outside for a small bit? I'm sure Mrs. Mallard won't mind..." He glances in the direction the elderly woman had vanished in before pointing towards the back of the large house. "Besides, maybe they need a potty break anyways?"

At this, Tony stifles the smallest of chuckles; but McGee only ignores his immaturity.

"Alright. Fine. I do not know if Mrs. Mallard will agree with us though..." Ziva gives a frustrated look before leading the way out of the kitchen. She then begins patting on her legs again to get the Welsh Corgis to follow her.

Tony and McGee simply choose to trail behind- their discomforts with dogs clearly rendering them useless at the moment.

The agents walk towards the back of the large and roomy house before they come to the back door. As Ziva goes to unlock the bolts, McGee suddenly begins furrowing his eyebrows again at another troublesome question.

He glances to the dogs before looking to his partners. "So uh... Do any of you know all of the uh- names to the Corgis?"

Immediately both Tony and Ziva exchange a look with each other before Tony just shrugs. "Hmm.. Uhh, I thought one was named Tyson?" His gaze slides to the five dogs below him next. He then slowly gives a small gasp.

"Oh! Another one was named... C-Contra? No, No... Connie?... No... Contessa!" He gives a frown as the name comes flooding back to him. "I remember the name from the last protection detail here..." He then gives a grimace. "She's the one who liked it 'rough' when I brushed her."

At this, Ziva suppresses a short laugh. "Ha! I would love to see you actually 'take care' of a dog." She smirks at him- knowing that at some point she'd get her chance to see DiNozzo brushing a dog. It was inevitable.

Tony however only rolls his eyes as finally the door is swung open. Instantly, all of the Corgis go gallivanting off into the backyard- their little paws flying and rushing about the grass.

McGee watches them go and begins nodding. "So.. we know of a Tyson and a Contessa. But what about the others?"

Tony only scoffs before going to lean on the doorframe. He crosses his arms. "Probie, it doesn't really matter. They're just dogs. Besides! We could always just try asking Mrs. Malla-"

But suddenly the Senior Field Agent is cut off by a blood-curdling snap of a voice.

All of the agents turn behind them to see none other than Mrs. Mallard standing with her hands on her hips. "My word! Whatever are you doing with my dogs!?" Her eyes stare at them with disbelief and McGee, Tony, and Ziva just begin stammering.

"Uhh-, well you see-"

"Oh, we were just-"

"We're not doing anything wrong-?"

Mrs. Mallard grunts. "Don't you know that they'll get filthy out there!" She gives an ever-so-astonished gape and McGee tries to speak for their 'mistake'.

"No, no, no- we were only letting them out to you know, use the bathroom." He points to the dogs from the door. "See? They're okay."

Mrs. Mallard squints and moves forward for a better look. Ziva and Tony step aside for her but McGee unfortunately is shoved out the doorway from the forceful elderly woman. He steps outside as she practically shoves him forward before smiling at the view of her five little Corgis in the yard.

"Oh alright. It seems they are being angels as of right now."

Before anyone has any time to reply or even move- Mrs. Mallard then turns back into the house and abruptly closes the door behind her; right onto McGee's face.

Ziva looks to the older woman with a stunned expression while Tony only begins chuckling madly.

"H-Hey!" McGee's voice calls from outside but Mrs. Mallard simply goes to bolt the door- rather quick-like. She then exhales with satisfaction and smiles a wrinkly smile. "All done! Now..." She grabs both Ziva and Tony's arms and starts leading the way towards the foyer again. "Let's go check on those toilets, shall we?"

Tony and Ziva look at each other with bewilderment. She had literally just locked McGee outside with the dogs!

"M-Mrs. Mallard? I-I think that-" Ziva tries to raise her voice over the yapping woman- but Mrs. Mallard wouldn't have it. She continues tugging on their arms before frowning at the Israeli to her side. "Do not talk back to me young lady! You two are going to do your jobs!"

Ziva only concedes with a sigh.

There was no arguing with her.

The two agents then had no choice but to shut up and follow Ducky's mother to wherever she was wanting them to go.

Meanwhile- poor Timothy McGee was stranded outside with nothing but the dogs to keep him company.

The probie bangs on the door and continues to call out to anyone inside- but it was useless.

He exhales and gives a grunt. "Ohh Come on!"

He really didn't want to be out here. It was getting chilly anyhow.

 _Why the heck would Mrs. Mallard just lock me outside?! I'm not a dog!_

He couldn't fathom how fast it had happened. She had just pushed him outside and that was that.

"Uggh." he groans and gives one last final pound on the door- when suddenly there comes a small growl from behind him.

McGee tenses up. He swallows hard before slowly turning to find one of the bigger looking Corgis practically snarling at him.

He feels his heart drop. "Oh no..."

 **A/N: Hope you are enjoying! Thank you for all of the kind reviews so far! All reviews are welcomed.**

 ** **I'm really liking this story.** The agents haven't even completed anything on Ducky's list yet haha. Mrs. Mallard is fun to write about.**

 **Hope I can write more soon. Please stay tuned!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

McGee slowly turns to see an overprotective Corgi baring its teeth. He swallows hard and begins to feel anxiety swamp his emotions.

He was all alone out here with these dogs and he didn't know how long it would be until someone would come to retrieve him. Oh, how he wished to be inside with his team!

He shakily reaches a hand out to the small animal at his feet and tries a smile. "H-Hey there buddy... You want good ol' Tim to pet you some? Yeah?" He feels his hands sweating when suddenly the dog charges for him with an abrupt bark. The Probie's eyes widen and immediately he takes off to the left- his head careening around to see if the dog was pursuing him; sure enough, it was.

McGee gives an annoyed yell. "Come on! Let me inside! Someone!"

He runs along the side of the house and tries to find something to stand on for the hopes of escaping the little menacing dog. His running and shouting however only attracts more of the Corgis in on the chase. They begin barking and yipping loudly.

McGee only runs harder- not knowing if the dogs were playing or not. Perhaps they really didn't like strangers in their home?

"Aaagggh!" He yells.

"Tony! Ziva! Help!"

* * *

Ziva and Tony look to each other with appalled and irritated expressions. Mrs. Mallard had sent them to 'do their jobs' upstairs and unclog any and all toilets that needed fixing. Neither of them were wanting to make the first move towards the toilet before them at the moment.

Tony exhales loudly and groans. "Why did the Probie have to say we're _toilet people?!"_ He crosses his arms. "This is _Not_ the job I signed up for!"

Ziva however only rolls her eyes at the complaining man before her. "Relax Tony. Mrs. Mallard can't come upstairs to check on us anyways. Remember? Ducky said that the stairs hurts her legs and that she needs help going up and down the stairs anyhow. She won't be coming around here any time soon..." The Israeli pauses after her explanation. She goes to poke her head out of the bathroom and glances down the hall just to make sure that her facts were correct. No sign of Mrs. Mallard.

 _Good._

She then shuffles back into the small room with Tony still grumbling like some toddler.

"So, are we like really going to clean and fix the toilets? Because..." His gaze shifts to the commode, "They look fine to me."

Ziva blinks at him before merely shrugging. How would Mrs. Mallard know the difference?

"I am not sure yet Tony. But I am still worried about McGee." At the mention of the Probie's name, Tony instantly unleashes a wicked grin.

"Oh, that was so hilarious! I can't believe that Ducky's mother _actually_ locked our poor Timmy outside." He laughs and Ziva somewhat gives the smallest of chuckles. It had been such a sudden move played by the elderly woman. It almost seemed as if she had intentionally moved him outside so that she could simply lock him out. Perhaps she didn't like McGee...? Who knows...

"Well, we cannot just leave him out there. He is our partner and you know how he is with dogs..." She places her hands onto her hips in gesture for Tony to agree with her and finally he gives a short nod. "Yeah, you're probably right. It's most likely cold outside too." The senior agent gives one last chortle before finally Ziva irritably gives him a hard nudge.

She then begins reaching her hands into her pockets. Once she finds what she's looking for, she pulls an item from her cargo pants.

Tony blinks at her sudden change of attention. He furrows his brows. "What's that?"

Ziva scoffs and reveals the item. It's a piece of paper.

"It's Ducky's To-Do list. I stuck it in my pocket while we were taking the dogs outside... I think we should really get to work on what _actually_ needs to be done around here." She unfolds the paper and begins at the top where the writing begins.

Tony shifts to Ziva's side- wanting to get a look of their instructions. He gapes though once he sees how long the list really is.

"What the heck! How many things does Ducky want us to actually do?!" He stares at the list in disbelief when suddenly a loud voice comes from outside the bathroom.

"Are you all getting my toilets unclogged yet!?"

Both Tony and Ziva jump at the sound of Mrs. Mallard's voice tone.

Tony immediately turns and gives Ziva a look. "I thought you said she can't come upstairs?" he whispers.

She only glares at him. "She cannot. But someone should learn to keep quiet so that she doesn't overhear us!" She glares at him before stepping out into the hall. But Mrs. Mallard is not there.

She then goes to look over the railings of the balcony to find the old woman standing in the foyer looking upwards. "There you are!" Mrs. Mallard waves and Ziva only gives a smile in return. "Everything is going great up here, Mrs. Mallard. Nothing to worry about."

Mrs. Mallard nods before giving a confusing look and questioning, "I don't remember hiring an Egyptian to work for me?"

Annoyance and frustration instantly pricks at Ziva's skin. Now Victoria Mallard was calling her Egyptian?

 _Seriously? Did she really just call me that?_ She fumes to herself and gives a few Hebrew cuss words in her head. She finally then just turns to head back into the hall bathroom with Tony.

Upon re-entering though, Tony wears a rather smug look on his face. He had obviously heard what Mrs. Mallard had called her.

"Egyptian Ziva? You never told me?" He laughs mockingly and Ziva only goes to give him a death-look which instantly causes for the agent to get his bearings.

"Sorry. That was just too priceless... I-I'll drop it now." He then gestures back to the list in her hand again and the two goes to read the first thing that needed to be done around here.

 _1\. Make sure the laundry is washed and cleanly pressed._

Both Tony and Ziva glance to each other at their first assignment.

"Laundry? I hardly even do my _own_ laundry?" Tony gives the smallest of grins but it disappears when Ziva cuts her eyes at him again.

"It is a simple task that Ducky would like us to do for him." She blinks at the man before continuing, "We need to ask Mrs. Mallard where the laundry room is. Perhaps you could go get the laundry started while I go and try to help McGee from outside."

The suggestion quickly irks Tony though. He didn't want to be left alone to start on the laundry? Who knows how much clothes the Mallards even go through in one week!

Nonetheless, the Senior agent finally gives a hesitant nod. "Oh, alright. I'll try."

Ziva gives him a small fond smile before heading out of the little bathroom; Tony at her heels.

The Israeli leads the way down the stairs before pausing at the bottom. "Go find Mrs. Mallard. I'll get McGee." She then disappears off in the direction to the back door.

Tony stands in place for a moment before finally heading to the right. He enters a well-sized sitting room and pauses to admire the colors and designs of the room. It seemed so regal, so past-life.

 _Wow. Nice decor Duck._ He then heads for another door that leads into an entry-way with more doors. One door leads to the library and the other leads to another sitting-room. This was the main living room area so he chooses to take this door.

Upon entering, he instantly finds Mrs. Mallard sitting on a long leather couch which looked more like a relic than a piece of furniture anymore. Her eyes were glued to a T.V. screen in front of her- which had on Jeopardy at the moment.

The Senior agent pauses and feels hesitant on gaining the woman's attention.

 _Gosh I hope she can just point me to the laundry room and then go back to watching her show..._

He runs his tongue over his teeth nervously before he finally clears his throat. "Mrs. Mallard? Can you tell me where the laundry room is?"

Victoria Mallard doesn't move or react though- nor does she remove her wide eyes from the television screen.

Tony furrows his brow incredulously.

 _Must be a good episode of Jeopardy._ He almost wants to chuckle at his thought, but he doesn't.

"Ahem, Mrs. Mallard?" he tries again; but she still doesn't move.

Finally he moves closer towards her and goes to awkwardly pat at her shoulder a bit. "Earth to Mallard? Hello?"

At last, the woman's head slowly turns to look at him. She narrows her eyes however once she recognizes who it is. "Young man? Whatever are you doing here?"

Tony feels discomfort claim his emotions. "I uh... Err... Well, you see-"

She cuts him off though. "Why haven't you unclogged my toilets yet?! A-And-" She suddenly pauses abruptly though and Tony only stiffens.

She blinks before squinting long and hard at the agent. She then finally lights up and her eyes grow round. "Ohhh! I remember you! You're that horrible Italian Furniture mover aren't you?"

Upon hearing this, Tony's world nearly explodes. _How_ could she possibly remember him after so long?!

 _It can't be! Please No!_

He goes to grind his teeth hard and begins fidgeting in his place. "W-What? No way! You've got me all wrong? I'm a toilet guy!" He tries to play it off but Mrs. Mallard only raises a pointed finger at him. "You are him! I know a man when I know him! And I _know_ a man!"

This only confuses Tony immensely and he exhales loudly. "No, I only want to know where the laundry room is!" He gives a frustrated grunt.

 _Just what I needed at the moment. This is completely great._

He then attempts to change the subject. "Do you even have a laundry room? If so, can I see it?" He begins talking slowly to her again like when he first tried to introduce the team to her.

Mrs. Mallard just stares at him though.

"I'd like to see your laundry room please. I-I'm a fan of washers and dryers! Really!", He then narrows his eyes at her failure to answer him and adds, "Honest."

Finally though, the woman slowly and shakily gets to her feet before squinting at him once more. "I think you need to find a new job."

Her voice is raspy and irritating and Tony didn't even have time for this! Ziva was counting on him to start the laundry!

He blinks and sighs for the last time. He then gives a defeating shrug. "Fine. I guess I'll have to find the laundry room all by myself." He attempts to leave the room but instantly he begins hearing the shuffling of feet come from behind him.

He looks over his shoulder.

 _Great._ Mrs. Mallard had decided to accompany him.

* * *

Ziva hurriedly goes to unlock the door before throwing it open. She steps outside and yells, "McGee!"

She then jerks her attention to the right where continuous barking was coming from. She instantly finds her co-worker in a rather uncomfortable position.

"Ziva! Help me!" Timothy McGee was being swarmed by all five of Mrs. Mallard's Corgis. All of them were barking and yipping like there was literally no tomorrow for them. McGee had somehow gotten himself up onto a small low ledge of a base to a windowsill. Nonetheless however, he still had one leg dangling down to where the dogs were clamoring all over it.

He looked very awkward and very cramped.

Ziva only gawks in disbelief at her friend. "McGee? What are you doing on there?" She couldn't even believe he had managed to fit on that very thin ledge- What were his intentions? To simply get away from the dogs?

"J-Just please, do something!" McGee's voice calls out with such exhaustion sounding in his tone.

Ziva quickly then whistles and pats on her knees to gain the dogs' attentions. "Hey! Over here! Come here everyone! Let's go back inside, alright?" She opens the door and instantly the dogs turn and perk their ears at her. One by one, they then rush over towards her- quickly and abruptly forgetting all about the cramped McGee.

"That's it! There we go." She then cracks the door so that they won't return before going to help McGee down from his 'position'.

"McGee, what were you doing? Why would you-?"

She trails off though as McGee gives a painfully loud grunt before finally getting back onto his two feet. He then goes to feel along his now-aching back. "Uggh!" He groans before looking to her. "I-I can explain."

Once he finishes with his stretch he then gives an incredulous sigh. Ziva only waits for the explanation.

He averts his gaze.

"Ohh... It was so awful. You wouldn't even believe it Ziva... T-Those dogs started growling at me! A-And then chasing me! I was running around the yard for a long while! Heck, I probably looked like an idiot to the neighbors." He frowns and then points to the small windowsill ledge. "I wanted to get to someplace high up... O-Or you know, whatever was available for me." He then lowers his head and continues frowning while Ziva just stares at him.

"It was just so horrible for me out here. A-And look, now I'm filthy." He bends down next to brush off the dirty and muddy paw-prints left behind on his lower pants.

Ziva simply crosses her arms and studies his messy character.

"I am sorry McGee. Me and Tony both tried to unlock the door for you but Mrs. Mallard only sent us upstairs..." She trails off before looking back towards the door. She didn't feel right leaving McGee out here for so long. She knew he didn't like the dogs.

But there honestly wasn't anything that they could have done to help.

"Eh, it's okay." The Probie looks to her and gives a relieving sigh. "Thank goodness you finally came to save me though. I didn't know how much longer I could have..." He pauses, "W-Well... you know." He felt awkward telling her this. He actually felt really stupid for being caught in such a weird position before his co-worker. Ziva though only nods. "I will not tell Tony of this. It is probably best if he does not know."

And with this, McGee gives the smallest of smiles. "Thanks." The two then head back inside; the Corgis already out of sight.

"So, where exactly _is_ Tony right now?" McGee couldn't help but ask why only Ziva had come to unlock the door for him.

The female agent only looks to the Probie. "He is supposed to be starting on our first task.", She pauses before beckoning him onward, "Follow me. Perhaps we can go see how he is doing and then you and I can start on the next things that Ducky's list says for us to do." She leads the way into the large house- her mind still wavering on McGee's awful experience with the dogs.

 _Hopefully Tony will have better luck than McGee. And perhaps he's gotten a good start on that laundry..._

 **A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews! More to come!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Tony irritably unscrews the detergent bottle before pouring some of the good-smelling liquid into the washer. He had managed to find the laundry room without the help of Mrs. Mallard.

She, in turn, had decided to accompany him and watch as he 'did his job' for about the twentieth time today. Although now it seemed like Tony had more than one job.

"Be careful now! Do you really know what you're doing here, Young man?" Mrs. Mallard goes to slowly cross her arms as Tony gives her a fake smile. "Yes Ma'am. I know what I'm doing." He retorts back within a somewhat sarcastic manner.

He then reaches for the softener next, at which time, Mrs. Mallard comes forward and decides to grab the detergent bottle away from the Senior agent. She peers down into it peculiarly before smelling it. "You sure this is the kind my Donald uses?"

Tony only curls his fists. "Yes ma'am! The _exact_ bottle your Donald uses! In fact, my forensic scientist friend could go and pull off Donald's fingerprints from this bottle for ya! She's a master at specifying things." His tone is sharp and firm- but Mrs. Mallard doesn't notice.

"Oh. Well let's have her over then. I want to make sure everything is as it should be." The elderly woman gives a firm nod and Tony only shakes his head.

He starts laughing to himself out of disbelief.

"No, no, no. She is busy. Abby cannot and probably _would not_ come over here. Sorry to disappoint you." He couldn't help but think of how lucky Abby honestly was right now- not being here and all.

"Oh.. well then. I shall take matters into my own hands. You don't seem to be doing it right." And with this, Mrs. Mallard suddenly goes to pour some more detergent into the washer.

Tony quickly gasps before going to snatch the bottle away from the washer. He gapes.

"M-Mrs. Mallard! I already did the detergent!" Tony couldn't help it anymore. He was ready to pull his hair out by now. Heck, he was practically ready to go Postal again!

"Well, you didn't put in enough!" Retorts the elderly woman with a sassy look.

Tony grinds his teeth out of sheer irritation now. He is about to just drop everything and simply strut out of the laundry room when suddenly footsteps sound behind them and he and Mrs. Mallard both turn in unity to find McGee and Ziva at the doorway.

"Oh thank the high seas you're here!" Tony couldn't believe it. He felt as if he had been alone for _hours_ with this woman!

McGee and Ziva only give small looks to each other as Tony goes to run a hand down his face. "Where have you two been?! I've been- I..." He didn't even know where to start, and this only gets an amused expression from Ziva in the end.

Through it all however, Mrs. Mallard goes to place her hands on her hips now and begins squinting yet again at the two incoming agents. She frowns. "My word!" Her expression changes and her eyes light up. "Could it be the late Howie? And his mistress Elizabeth Conwell?" She shuffles closer to Ziva as all three agents turn to give Mrs. Mallard some very lost and bewildered looks.

"Howie? Who the heck is Howie?" McGee's voice is taut with awkwardness and confusion.

Tony however only begins to get a kick out the situation. Now it was their turn to deal with this nonsense.

"Excuse me, but do you not remember us? We have been here helping with your house?" Ziva cocks her head to the side while Mrs. Mallard simply ignores her and continues with her random ramblings.

"My, my! I haven't seen you both in years!" She then turns to McGee. "Howie, you should know that the whole town talks of that sorry excuse for a wife of yours. She is such a witch in my utmost opinion..."

And with this, Tony finally starts laughing hysterically. What on earth was this woman even talking about?

Ziva on the other hand only narrows her eyes intensely at Mrs. Mallard before going to change the subject from this said 'gossip'.

"So, Tony, have you started the laundry yet?" She crosses her arms and Tony inevitably continues laughing. The situation was just way too much for him.

"Tony! Answer me!" The Israeli's patience were running thin. She literally felt like punching something at the moment.

Tony notices the look of fire in her eyes and finally clears his throat. "O-Oh, right. Well, it was sort of going well until _someone_ decided to take matters into her own hands." DiNozzo gives an obvious glance towards Mrs. Mallard.

Ziva only sighs at the news and McGee gives a small frown.

"Well um, how about you continue with the laundry and Ziva and I can start on the next few things on Ducky's list?" McGee wanted to try and enlighten the mood of the room but as of right now nothing seemed to be going well for anyone...

"Wait, what?" Tony screws his face up. "Leave me stuck with the laundry? I honestly thought Ziva could take over because... you know, she's a woman?" The moment the words leave his mouth though- he instantly regrets it.

Ziva instantaneously jerks her attention back to the frat-boy and gives him a cold scowl. "Seriously DiNozzo? Pinning women with laundry now are we?" She scoffs before adding, "Men are just as capable."

Tony is about to open his mouth to argue back with her when McGee just steps in front of the bickering two. "Hey! How about I do the laundry? That way we all don't start fighting like animals. Okay?" The Probie practically rolls his eyes at his ever-so-difficult co-workers before going to continue Tony's position with the laundry.

Mrs. Mallard is all the while still standing next to Ziva- eyeing her like some kind of hawk.

Tony unfortunately notices this and almost laughs again- but he withholds it knowing that he would probably get hit by Ziva in the end. He tries to take his mind off of anything that would make him laugh and decides to go serious again.

"Ahem, so what's next on this oh-so-fun list of Ducky's?" DiNozzo shifts to Ziva's side as she quickly goes to retrieve the paper from her pocket and unravels it.

The two agents read the following:

 _2\. Give each Corgi a bath and please brush their fur out while drying (P.S.: I'll even pay you for this one.)_

Both Tony and Ziva slowly go to give each other a look.

Tony only begins feeling dead inside. He did NOT want to have to do this task- whether or not it involved getting paid.

"Bathe the Corgis? Well, this will surely be interesting..." Ziva didn't seem to think the task sounded all that bad. Tony however wasn't looking forward to it. He had already had his _hands on_ experience with those pesky dogs before.

"Sooo... How about I take the next task? You can bathe the dogs." The suggestion is rather blunt and Ziva only turns to raise an eyebrow at the man.

"Depends on what the next assignment is." She mutters back before going to read the line below.

 _3\. Cook a decent and healthy dinner for Mother if you will._

At this, Ziva immediately lights up. "Ooh! I am so taking this one! I am a very good cook, remember?" She goes to bat her eyes at her partner and gives a downright wicked smile- Tony only shakes his head furiously though.

"No way!" He begins gaping from the memory of having to wash and brush the dogs last time he were here. "I won't be forced to bathe the dogs! You can't do that to me!" His voice begins sounding taut and distressed. He was completely desperate.

 _She can't possibly expect me to do that all by myself! She knows I hate those dogs- just as much as McProbie does!_

Tony's mind begins whirling with tons of excuses for the task but Ziva only scoffs and shrugs at him. "Sorry Tony. You gave away your 'horrible' laundry task to McGee already. And I am the better cook here." She goes to pat his chest out of lame comfort before adding, "You are going to have to do it."

Tony's shoulders sag and he hangs his head in defeat. Was she for real?

 _Is she seriously going to force this dreaded death toll upon me? I've already had my share of bathing those creatures before!  
_

He couldn't even believe it anymore. Perhaps this was all simply nothing but a nightmare? But... how could it be?

He knew this wasn't a dream. This was reality. And he was going to have to face it.

"W-Wait... So... Can't I just skip to the fourth thing on the list? Can't we come back to number two later?" He didn't know what else to say or do now.

Ziva only frowns at him though. She could tell he _seriously_ didn't want to bathe those Corgis. She almost even feels pity for the disheartened man. But, there was no getting out of this. Ducky wanted for them to complete everything on the list and this one had to be done too.

"Tony, please just do it. It is not that hard." She then goes to place a hand on his face and adds, "For me?"

Irritation and annoyance for the woman before him only riled Tony. Was she really doing this now? Was she seriously trying to sway him into doing something he absolutely wasn't wanting to do? How could she do this?...

And yet... How could he honestly say no to her?

DiNozzo runs a hand through his perfect hair and exhales loudly; her dark brown eyes still pinning him practically against the wall.

 _Uggghh..._

"Fine." He growls at last; crossing his arms while wearing a sour face.

Ziva only smiles encouragingly at him. "Thank you, Tony. I will go ahead and start making dinner."

At the mention of the word 'dinner', Tony goes to perk his head up just slightly. "Oh, what do you plan on making?"

Ziva pauses and thinks. "Hmm, well it needs to be something that Mrs. Mallard agrees with. Perhaps I shall ask for her opinion and then go from there." She then turns to suddenly find that Mrs. Mallard was no longer in the laundry room with them.

"Oh. I guess I should go find her first." The Israeli then takes her leave and rounds the doorframe out into the large house again.

Tony watches her go with grief- anxiety already clawing at his insides.

His worst nightmare had come true. He was going to have to wash, brush, _and_ dry five Corgis- All by himself.

"Great." he mutters, before turning around again to find McGee placing the last bit of clothes and garments into the washing machine.

"There. All done." The Probie practically says to himself before starting the wash. He then makes eye contact with Tony and gives the smallest of smiles. "Not long until I'll have to move them into the dryer."

The Senior agent only nods before questioning, "So, what are you going to do now? You've got to wait a bit, right?"

McGee slowly gives a hesitant nod. "Uhh, yes."

And with this, Tony gives a small devious grin. The perfect idea had already struck him.

He goes to shove his hands into his jean pockets and quirks his eyebrows at the younger field agent before him.

"And, _who's_ in charge here again?"

McGee blinks- knowing where this is already going. "You?"

Tony smirks. "Yeah. And uh, as Senior field agent _in charge here,_ I'd like for you to come help me with my new job."

McGee gives a skeptical look and narrows his eyes a bit. This couldn't be good. "Oh... Well what exactly is your job? I overhead something about cooking, was it?"

DiNozzo shakes his head. "That's Ziva's. Mine is washing the dogs. And you're going to help- Big time."

At this, McGee instantly realizes what was about to go down now. He begins backing up and shakes his head. "Oh, no way. Not happening Tony." But Tony only continues holding his smirk. "Uh, who's in charge again Probie?"

And with this, Tony knew that he had the upper hand here. Things were definitely going to get interesting...

"Follow me." He then turns on his heel and leads the way out of the laundry room; McGee only standing in his wake. The probie frowns to himself and slowly starts to trail behind- completely knowing his fate.

 _Oh geez._

 **A/N: Sorry for small wait. Been super busy lately. Stay tuned for more! Love the reviews so far and I'm so thankful for those who read and follow the story! Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Ziva David rounds a corner to the large house and suddenly finds Mrs. Mallard watching Jeopardy in a rather large sitting room.

She pauses and exhales to herself. This was the moment where she'd need to ask Mrs. Mallard what she would like to eat tonight. She needed to know what to fix.

 _But, what if she gets confused again? Or thinks of me as some Egyptian or like some random Elizabeth woman or something?_ She frowns at her thoughts.

Ziva's patience had began to run short ever since she arrived here with Tony and McGee. She couldn't believe just how difficult it was to even talk to Ducky's mother. Of course though, she'd never want to be disrespectful or rude in any manner towards Mrs. Mallard. She always knew just how to keep her cool- even if she felt like losing it sometimes.

 _Here goes nothing._ She approaches the woman and lightly taps her on the shoulder. "Mrs. Mallard?"

The elderly woman doesn't stir- she just continues holding her attention to the T.V.; a man on the screen gaining the double Jeopardy at the moment.

Mrs. Mallard begins talking to herself and mutters, "You should have gone with the $800 dollars Gerald." She grunts. "My, my, haven't I taught you anything?"

Ziva just blinks and stares at what exactly is going on. Did Mrs. Mallard think she was actually at the game? Did she think she was some man's mentor or something?

 _None of my business._

She tries again. "Mrs. Mallard? What would you like me to make you for dinner?"

At this, finally the elderly woman turns and almost even smiles at Ziva. "Young lady... Do you know I have won this about seventy-eight times now?" She points to the screen and Ziva only nods slowly.

"That is impressive. But I would like to know what you would like to eat for tonight." The female agent clasps her hands together and straightens herself so that she holds perfect posture. She hopes to herself that Mrs. Mallard wouldn't get confused.

Fortunately, the woman understands and finally says, "Yes, waitress, I would like..." She pauses and Ziva has to curl her fists at being called a waitress. "Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding please. Well done. And don't forget some veggies on the side."

At this, Ziva only gawks at what the woman demanded of her.

 _Does Ducky even have roast for me to make?_

She decided she would check- and if not, she would simply ask Mrs. Mallard for her second preference.

 _Roast and some yorkshire pudding? Is this really what she wants?_ Ziva didn't quite know what to think of the choice of food; but she chose not to argue about it. That's all anyone has done anyways upon their arrival.

"Okay Mrs. Mallard, I will see what I can do..." And with this, the agent then turns and heads for the kitchen- leaving Mrs. Mallard to study the T.V. screen again.

* * *

Tony peers around the corner with McGee at his side. They had been looking all over the house for Mrs. Mallard's Corgis.

Sometimes they'd get a glimpse of one- and then he'd dash away and into another room.

It were as if the Corgis knew what time it was- Bath time. And they seemed determined to give Tony and McGee a hard time about it.

McGee finally gives an exasperated sigh. "We aren't ever going to catch these dogs." He couldn't believe Tony had dragged him into helping bathe the Corgis in the first place.

 _Just who does Tony think he is? Gibbs?_

McGee hurriedly jerks his head out into the foyer to suddenly see two more Corgis sniffing around the large front doors. He silently beckons to Tony- who quickly catches on.

McGee then locks eyes with Tony and whispers, "You go around one way and I'll take this way. We'll catch them for sure."

Tony gives a look and mouths 'I'm in charge here' but fortunately listens and goes along with the plan. He goes around to the other side just adjacent to the stairwell and gets into position.

The two men share an uncanny look with each other just once more before finally Tony gives a nod meaning 'go'.

The agents instantaneously take off and bolt for the dogs. The Corgis quickly learn what is exactly going on and immediately start to run towards the sitting room.

"Ugh! Grab em Tony!" McGee practically slips on the large rug that claims the foyer's floor as Tony flails after the retreating dogs. The Probie's feet slides himself almost nearly into the front doors and he gives a begrudging grunt. "Ohh... I hate these dogs." He mutters.

Tony on the other hand was still hot on the trail. He steers around a coffee table and nearly leaps over a foot stool.

"Come here! Come see Tony!" The Senior agent pursues the dogs as if his life depended on it- his legs moving swiftly around the furniture. He watches next as one dog suddenly rushes underneath one of the large sitting chairs.

The other swerves the corner and heads for the library- Tony still clamoring on after him. "Almost!" He grits his teeth and continues the chase. "Come here you stupid mutt!"

The dog yips once before finally spotting a hiding place behind a large china cabinet. The agent's mind surges.

 _No, no, no, no._

Tony quickly notes where the Corgi is heading and suddenly braces himself before throwing himself into a lunge. He hits the floor hard yet manages to grasp one of the Corgi's hind legs- pulling the animal to an abrupt stop.

"I-I gotcha!" He yells, as the wind is nearly knocked out of his chest. "P-Probie, come get him! McGee!" Tony starts to wheeze a bit before suddenly the Corgi turns and gives a sharp bark. He growls lowly while trying to yank his leg away from Tony's hold.

"No, no, I've got you! You aren't going _anywhere!"_ The Senior agent somehow feels a triumphant feeling pulse through his veins at his somewhat epic accomplishment. He had beaten this Corgi at his own game!

"McGee! Hurry! Come get the little beast!" And it is then when suddenly Ziva comes storming into the room; a towel in her hands and a look of astonishment instantly claiming her face. She raises her eyebrows and nearly gasps at Tony's position on the floor.

"Tony!? What are you going!?" She seethes with complete disbelief at what her eyes were looking at before her.

Tony struggles and simply attempts to look at her as McGee then comes hobbling into the room- his eyes also growing large with disbelief at the Senior agent on the floor. DiNozzo tries to sit up and regain his words for the utmost sincere explanation for this- when suddenly the Corgi jerks free from his hands and goes barreling behind the large china cabinet at last.

Instantly Tony is glazed with horror and he throws his hands in the air with a groan of defeat. "Oh Come on! Y-You just made me lose my-" But he is cut off with a wheeze. He continues panting madly while Ziva only severely narrows her eyes at the man. She clearly wasn't impressed with his 'attempt' to explain his situation.

"You are acting like a complete child! This is a house- an extremely old house! You could have broken something or worst! What were you even thinking?!" The Israeli couldn't understand her co-workers sometimes- and this was definitely one of those times.

McGee tries to intervene with the onslaught of Ziva and says, "I-It really wasn't just Tony's fault Ziva. The dogs were being difficult and we can't catch a single one of them in order to give them a bath." McGee's gaze then falls to the floor as Ziva turns to give him a look of bewilderment.

"Oh, so the _dogs_ were being _difficult?_ That it?" She nearly scoffs with such incredulity as Tony finally tries to get to his feet. His feeling of victory had already run dry and he now held the expression of complete indignation. After all his hard work at catching just ONE of the Corgis... _And for what?_ For it to get away again...

He glares in the direction of the now-hiding Corgi before looking to the angered Israeli. He didn't quite know where to start with his explanation- but he very well knew that he had _great_ reason for catching that dog.

"Look, Ziva, we're simply trying to do what Ducky wants us to do." DiNozzo goes to pinch the bridge of his nose out of vex while Ziva then goes to cross her arms in response. "Oh, so Ducky wants you to nearly rip one his dogs apart? Gosh Tony, I do not recall seeing that one on the list!"

And with this, Tony is about to open his mouth to give a vile retort when McGee quickly cuts in again- his voice somewhat shaky. "G-Guys! Relax! Nobody got hurt and that's all that um... Matters." he looks from Tony and then to Ziva before the female agent just exhales again.

"Do you know what Mrs. Mallard would have done if she would have caught you doing that to one of her dogs?" Ziva couldn't help but think of the horrors that would be bestowed upon them if Mrs. Mallard had actually found out- and both Tony and McGee exchange a look at the dreaded thought.

Nonetheless, Tony then finally shakes his head and gives a frown. "She's too busy watching Jeopardy right now! It took my sweat and blood to catch that little beast over there, and now he's escaped thanks to you!" Tony didn't quite know how to express his annoyance for the situation at hand. How were he and McGee ever going to get the Corgis to take a bath now? None of the dogs were willing!

Ziva's expression instantly changes though and she almost even gives a smirk to the exasperated DiNozzo. "So, you are having trouble of getting them to come to you? Seriously?" She chuckles lightly before going to whistle and pat on her knees.

She needed to show these rambunctious men how things were supposed to be done around here...

She bends low and directs her attention towards the Corgi who was still positioned behind the china cabinet.

Both McGee and Tony exchange a small look with each other as the dog incredulously perks its little ears at the female agent. It barks before slowly coming to move out behind the cabinet- leaving both Tony and McGee speechless.

Ziva only grins and continues with her 'dog magic'. "That's it. Come here. Come see me." She claps her hands together and finally the dog comes trotting up to her feet; its tail beginning to waggle happily.

Tony simply gawks. "W-What!?"

He couldn't believe how quick and easy she made it look!

He nearly grunts out of frustration. "How come they really like you and really hate me and McNobody here?"

This gets an offended look from McGee but Tony just ignores it.

"Hmm, maybe because... I actually treat the dogs like _dogs_ and not unwanted animals in the house." Ziva purses her lips before going to playfully hit the Senior agent with her towel in-hand. "How about you try it and perhaps you will have more luck?" She then decides to take her leave and begins strutting back towards the kitchen; leaving both of the men to stare after her in her wake.

Niether of the stupefied agents could really believe what they had just witnessed. They had completely been shown up by a woman... though with Ziva, that wasn't too uncommon these days...

"Y-You really think... we've been doing this all wrong?" McGee couldn't help but admire Ziva's way with the dogs. She always had a solution for everything and she seemed like she knew what she was doing here. Heck, she also typically knew how to keep Tony's head screwed on straight... well, somewhat decently straight.

Tony though only wants to scoff. He places his hands on his hips and frowns. "What are you saying Probie? You think we should actually try some 'doggie' talk? Like her?"

McGee nearly rolls his eyes. "No, but obviously Ziva is right. If doggie talk is what it takes, then maybe we should give it a shot. Besides, we've wasted enough time as it is already." He gives a small glance to the Corgi who still sat at their feet- it's tongue lolling out lazily. The Probie then goes to add, "I mean, clearly Ziva's method tends to work?"

Tony merely exhales yet tentatively concedes. He couldn't deny it- Ziva _was_ right. Running around here in this large house while trying to catch some miniature dogs was definitely not the way to go about this situation.

It had only been a few hours and Tony felt like he was already acting like a some lunatic here.

 _What would Gibbs think of me? Or even Ducky? Leaping for his dogs and chasing them around like a complete fool..? This is not what he would have wanted from me._ The Senior field agent hangs his head and furrows his brow to himself. He then looks back up to the Probie again. "Fine. You're right."

McGee however is nearly taken aback though. "What? I am?" He hadn't expected for Tony to actually agree with him.

The Probie blinks and next notices the look in Tony's eyes. He makes the connection that Tony's probably beating himself up over all this Corgi nonsense- and he almost even starts to feel bad for the older agent.

He shifts a bit and goes to clear his throat. "H-Hey um, it was my fault too. We're both guilty of trying to catch Ducky's Corgis.", he pauses before then slowly adding, "How about we go try and find the other dogs now? Maybe we could even get Mrs. Mallard to help us. You know how good she is with them anyways."

Tony ponders for a moment and then simply gives a nod; figuring that McGee was probably trying to make him feel better. He attempts a smile and sighs just once more. "Alright. Sounds good."

He wasn't about to let anything else get in his way of being a responsible and capable leader though; he'd make sure of that. Gibbs placed him in charge for a reason anyways- and he was determined to prove himself worthy of this helpful assignment.

The two then start to head back towards the room where Mrs. Mallard could normally be found watching Jeopardy; their intent on getting this bathing task over with completely stimulating their motivations now.

 **A/N: Poor Tim and Tony. So frustrating for them- but who knows? It could probably only get better? Right?  
**

 **Thank you for every review and all support so far! Stay tuned for more!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

"Make sure you get under the tails and paws too!" Mrs. Mallard had her hands on her hips as she supervised Tony DiNozzo's work on the dogs. It had taken a good while to get Mrs. Mallard to finally agree on helping round up her Corgis for the dreaded 'bath-time'.

Before the actual bathing had even begun however, McGee had cheaply headed back to finish up with the remainder of the laundry- leaving poor Tony to do his own task by himself.

On top of it all, neither one of the dogs seemed to like the idea of 'standing still' while getting washed and groomed.

The Senior agent has his jaw tightly clenched now as he goes to lift one of the legs of a stubby Corgi. He attempts to clean at the paws but simply fails when the dog pulls away and nearly topples over the all-natural dog shampoo bottle.

Tony groans in annoyance and practically feels like drowning himself in the sudsy water.

"Keep it up, Young man! Put your own back into it!" Mrs. Mallard continued calling out tips and critics of his work before finally deciding to turn and head back for some more Jeopardy.

Tony glares off into space and curls his fists before finally exhaling to himself.

 _Alright. That's it!_

He hurriedly goes to grab the several towels that sat in an orderly pile at his side and roughly attempts to dry the Corgis' short fur off. One dog starts growling lowly while another gives a little yip- causing for Tony to nearly leap back in frantic surprise. He frowns before pointing his finger at the little loud mouth.

"Keep your muzzle shut please, or else I'll glue it shut _for you_." He gives a fake smile at the dog just as footsteps sound near the doorway again. Tony goes to look up, expecting to see a displeased Mrs. Mallard and nearly winces. How could she possibly have overheard him?

But thankfully, his gaze only goes to meet a rather smug-looking McGee.

Tony goes to exhale through his nose at the sight of his least favorite person as of right now. "Ah. It's only you, McLoser. And just where have you been all this time? You know, I thought you agreed to help me with this job."

The Probie only gives a small grin. "Uh No. I only said that I _could_ help you until the clothes were done washing. Then I had to put them in the dryer and go over them with a flat-iron, remember? Ducky wanted them to be cleanly pressed." The Probie adds a shrug and continues, "Besides, my job wasn't any more fun than... this." he gestures to the room where towels and hair-dryers lay strewn amongst the floor.

Tony only gives an irritated smile while going to forcefully throw a towel over top of one of the damp dogs. "Well, just for the record, I blame you for this."

McGee gives a chuckle at the rather satisfyingly comical scene before him. "Hey, you're doing good Tony. You're almost done with them anyways. Just finish drying them off." He gives one last exclusive grin before disappearing back through the door again.

Tony begrudgingly watches the Probie leave just as Contessa begins pawing at him from below. Tony frowns down at the dog as he slowly starts to remember that this one likes it rough.

"...Get over here." He resentfully picks up one of the brushes.

* * *

Ziva goes to taste her freshly made Yorkshire pudding with a wooden spoon. Absurdly enough, Ducky did in fact have the ingredients to make the Yorkshire pudding that Mrs. Mallard had asked for. Perhaps it was a regular favorite for the Mallards?

On the downside though, Ducky didn't happen to have fresh roast lying around to make. Hopefully Mrs. Mallard wouldn't be too disappointed without her Sunday Roast.

So instead, Ziva decided to make do with whatever was stocked within the pantry. She looked around and had only managed to find veggies, spices, and various other assortments of snacks and ingredients for traditional meals.

 _Perhaps I should try one of Ducky's traditional recipes? That way, Mrs. Mallard won't object to the meal..._

It had taken the young agent a good while to find the recipe stash- but at last she had managed.

She had then looked over a few of the dinners before deciding to go with the Scottish RumbledeThumps recipe.

It seemed simple enough, and its main ingredients simply consisted of cabbage, onion, cheese, and potato.

She now sets the spoon to her pudding down and goes to check on the RumbledeThumps dish within the oven before checking the time on her watch. Dinner would be ready sooner than expected.

 _I hope Tony and McGee are in to trying new things._ She thinks to herself rather conspicuously.

She then heads for one of the cabinets to begin pulling out plates and silverware for the members of the large house. As she begins getting things situated though, her thoughts start to go over the majority of the day so far.

Ziva still could not get over what she had witnessed just about two hours earlier. The image of Tony lying on the floor while yanking on one of the Corgis' legs was constantly on her mind. What on earth was Tony thinking?

How could he have expected to chase a miniature dog around this elegant house without breaking something!? And on top of that, why would he try and catch a dog that way? He could have been in serious trouble if Mrs. Mallard had caught him in the act...

 _Why can't my co-workers be... well... Normal?_

She also thought back to the incident where McGee had been locked outside with the Corgis. So far, this assignment was not going too swiftly.

Perhaps everyone would feel better tomorrow with a some rest?

 _I do not know how much longer I can even take this,_ Ziva thinks to herself somewhat irritably. _But I do know that this is for a good cause and that Ducky would have done the same for us._

She then tries to focus her mind on other things- better things. Hopefully tomorrow would be better, and hopefully Ducky would soon return from his trip.

* * *

McGee folds the last of the dress-shirts atop of a neat pile before leaning back to marvel at his hard work. He had finally finished getting the wrinkles out and had successfully pressed the clean clothes.

"Man, I feel like I deserve a reward or something..." He breathes to himself rather happily and sighs. He is about to get up and go check on Tony again- to speculate the progress of the bathing- when suddenly, a loud voice comes ringing through the house.

McGee's head perks up as he recognizes Ziva's voice instantly. "Dinner is ready!" She calls.

At the sound of the word 'dinner', the Probie immediately leaps to his feet. "Oh man! Dinner! Wonder what it is!" He hurriedly starts out of the room and rounds the corner towards the kitchen when suddenly- he practically runs head-on into Tony; the same hungry and excited expression clinging to his face.

"Tony! Watch it!" McGee grunts before stepping back.

The Senior agent only looks and gives a frown to his collider. "Sorry Probie. I need to get to that kitchen!"

McGee is about to agree but suddenly recalls Mrs. Mallard and asks, "Well, wait. One of us needs to fetch Mrs. Mallard?"

Tony blinks at the Probie before nearly narrowing his eyes. "I've been with the dogs all evening. I think _you_ should be the one to do it." The older agent then takes off for the kitchen again- leaving a flustered McGee in his wake.

"Yeah. Okay. Whatever. Thanks a bunch! We're all hungry here Tony!" He then rolls his eyes before heading to get Mrs. Mallard- the many food possibilities simply coursing through his mind.

 _Hope it's good. Cause I'm starving..._

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for keeping up with the story! Sorry for the small wait!  
**

 **Thank you for every review! Hope to hear more from you all!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

"Sooo, What is this exactly Ziva?" Tony was the first to take one look at the dish and practically lift his nose to it; his eyes glancing around for any other menu options. Ziva however only gives a look of daggers towards her partner. "It's a traditional meal that originated from Scotland. It's called-"

But before she had time to finish, a bellowing voice randomly cuts in. "Is that my Yorkshire pudding? My, my! I think you've done something right for a change!"

Tony and Ziva both look to see an excited Mrs. Mallard standing at the kitchen's doorway- with a wide-eyed looking Probie just behind her.

"It looks scrumptious!" The elderly woman makes her way into the room now with a blinding smile before shuffling towards the large table that was already set.

"Yes. I made it just the way Ducky- I mean, Donald makes it." Ziva remarks before gesturing towards her co-workers to come join Mrs. Mallard at the table.

"Oh cool! Smells delicious!" McGee quickly hurries for his own seat before asking, "What else are we having?"

Ziva blinks before looking back at Tony who had merely asked the same question just moments ago. "Well, it is called Rumbledethumps. I-I personally have never had it, but it is one of Ducky's traditional foods that he makes and I actually believe it is-" But she is cut off by another imposing remark from Tony. "Uhh, I have never seen _anything_ like this stuff."

Ziva scowls at the man before prompting him to sit down with a look. "I cooked it. Therefore, it is good. Now eat."

McGee chuckles at the small banter before going to pick up his own silverware. "Well, I for one think it looks great, Ziva."

This causes for the Israeli to beam. "Thank you McGee."

She then goes to ask for the approval of Mrs. Mallard when she notices the woman already enjoying the dish. A whole scoop of Rumbledethumps were already upon her plate along with a mountain of the Yorkshire pudding.

The agent meekly smiles to herself.

 _Yes. You really did it this time Ziva..._

 _..._

The agents finally commence to their own meals, and after a few bites, McGee can't help but perk up his head and ask, "So how are the Corgis coming Tony?" He smiles around a mouthful as Tony nearly drops his fork to his plate. "Oh. Those little hooligans? I'd consider myself done with them by now." He grimaces before going to shove some pudding into his mouth.

Ziva and McGee only smile at his reaction. Mrs. Mallard is simply too caught up with her meal to bother with Tony's remarks to her dogs. She was enjoying her food too much to care.

McGee then takes a sip of his drink before continuing. "Hey, it could always be worst for you. There could be more than five?"

Tony's eyes widen before he gives a frustrated look and he swallows his food hard. "Don't say that Probie. Or more might magically come yipping around the corners of the earth."

* * *

After the meal had been thoroughly enjoyed, there was nothing left to do now but start pending on sleeping arrangements. Surprisingly enough, even Tony had sort of enjoyed the different, foreign food and it hadn't been as bad as he thought it was going to be. Mrs. Mallard had even downed about three whole servings...

"Alright, so... How about we decide where we're going to sleep and pick up on Ducky's To-Do list tomorrow?" McGee was the first to inquire- for nobody really knew how this was about to go down.

"Okay, but where are we going to sleep exactly? And, are we going to have someone stay up on watch shifts? Or no?" Ziva wasn't about to take any chances here at sacrificing their good efforts on this. Simple assignment or not, she was willing to treat this like a real, true protection detail.

Tony on the other hand only looks to her with a confused frown. "What? Night shifts? Why would we do those? We're just watching Ducky's mother for him."

Ziva crosses her arms next. "Exactly! It is also known as protection detail!"

McGee hurriedly steps between the two yet again, in hopes of avoiding another quarrel. "G-Guys! Let's just... take a deep breath and decide as a team here."

Tony goes to scratch the back of his neck before simply remarking, "Well uh, technically Gibbs put me in charge. So..."

And at this, Ziva merely scowls. "Oh come on. We all know how many bad decisions you've already made in just one day."

Tony nearly flinches before going to open his mouth for a harsh retort. But he then stops himself and almost chokes on his own words.

Honestly? Ziva had a point. He had already made some poor choices today...

The Senior agent finally slumps a bit before frowning again. "Whatever."

He hangs his head before going to storm out of the room- leaving McGee and Ziva alone to themselves.

Ziva's gaze immediately falls to the floor and McGee only shuffles in place.

After a small awkward moment, McGee then decides to break the ice by slowly going to look out the large windows to the front of the house. He then clears his throat. "I-I'll take first watch if you want. We can just take turns." He then pauses before adding, "I-I don't want to argue about it."

Ziva blinks at the man before nodding slowly. She was already beginning to feel guilty for what she had said to Tony. Perhaps she shouldn't have said anything at all...

"Okay. Thank you." She trails off again before deciding, "I will go see how Tony is before going to deal with Mrs. Mallard." And without waiting for a reply, she hurries off into the elegant house; her guilt clawing at her from the inside out.

Why did things have to be so complicated on a simple assignment like this?

She enters a nice sitting room- the same direction in which Tony had headed. The room's lighting made everything look warm and dim. It seemed like the perfect atmosphere for sleep.

She glances around the room before spotting Tony lying on one of the couches; his head propped up by his hands with a pillow underneath them.

She tips her head to the side at how peaceful he already looked. Why couldn't the two of them just get along together?

She walks over to him before placing a light hand upon his arm and this instantly causes for the agent's eyes to open. He blinks at her before sluggishly asking, "What do you want?"

Ziva averts her gaze to her hands before slowly exhaling. "I am sorry."

Tony's rough expression quickly melts away at her words. He immediately feels surprise overtake him. Why was she apologizing to him? Hadn't he been the one in the wrong?

She continues though and looks back to him. "You were... You were right. Gibbs did put you in charge. I-I was only suggesting that we take extra precautions."

Tony stares at his partner and ponders to himself on why Ziva even cared so much that she even came to apologize. Did it truly matter to her?

He shifts and tries to sit up a bit. "Ahh, it's alright. I'm not doing too swift as 'in-charge-agent' right now anyways." He mutters, and he almost even feels a smile tug at his lips. It was nice that she cared.

"Well, I should not have said that to you. I know you make rational decisions. I did not mean it." She pats his arm just one more.

There is then a small silence between them before Ziva ominously starts for the door again. Tony's gaze sticks to her before she pauses and turns to look at him just one more time.

It seemed as if there was a whole lot more to say between them- but neither could find the words.

The woman then finally rounds the corner- ending their solemn eye-contact.

She pauses and exhales to herself before then going to look for Mrs. Mallard.

...

Tony watches Ziva leave before going to lay back onto the pillow cushion again- his mind whirling with a million thoughts already. It was very thoughtful of Ziva to have come and apologized- but why did she really feel the need?

 _She was right though. I do make bad decisions sometimes._ His mind was already going back to him chasing the Corgi today.

He then tries to roll over and forget about the situation but... it is somewhat hard to do so.

He liked how Ziva cared that much to make up with him and he liked that she hadn't wanted to remain on bad terms with him.

He smiles to himself slightly.

Tomorrow he would surely prove himself worthy. Tomorrow he'd be better at being in charge and soon Ducky would be back to relieve them of this assignment.

He exhales just once more before closing his eyes. Things already felt ten times better because of her.

* * *

"Young lady, I can take care of myself! I can decide when it is time for me to get some rest!" Mrs. Mallard, as usual, was wanting to be difficult about the situation. She didn't want to cooperate one bit.

She turns back to her book in hand and goes back to her reading that she had been 'rudely' interrupted from.

Ziva David however, wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"Mrs. Mallard, please do not make this difficult. I think it is rightfully time for you to get some sleep." She places her hands on her hips as Victoria Mallard only goes to flip the next page in her book- clearly ignoring the Israeli.

Ziva exhales- not wanting to deal with this at the moment when suddenly she gets a tremendous idea.

She smirks to herself before leaning forward. "I have a wonderful suggestion for you, Mrs. Mallard."

The elderly woman doesn't even look up- her eyes were staying continuously glued to the pages of the book with her reading glasses hanging from her nose ever so tightly.

"Mrs. Mallard?" Ziva tries again with a small prod, and this time Mrs. Mallard looks up. "Ohh, What do you want you little pest?"

Ziva feels like fuming but ignores the harsh innuendo. She reaches for Mrs. Mallard's hand and says, "How about this. You can continue reading, as long as you move into your bedroom and do it. Yes?"

Mrs. Mallard gives a puzzled look simply and finally sets her book down into her lap. "And why on earth would I do that?"

Ziva gives a fake smile. "Because that way, if you happen to fall asleep, you'll be in bed."

Personally, she thought it was a great idea that would accommodate Mrs. Mallard's wants- and luckily the elderly lady finally gives a gruff sigh. "Oh, alright! But only if my lovelies accompany me. Don't want to be too lonely you know."

Ziva smiles with relief and simply nods. "Yes. I shall round your Corgis up for you and take them to your room."

She then begins leading Mrs. Mallard back towards her bedroom- one of the largest rooms on the ground level.

As they're walking though, Ziva can't help but wonder how Mrs. Mallard can actually still manage to read. Wasn't her eye sight getting bad?

 _Perhaps she manages decently well?_

It is then though that Mrs. Mallard huffs and asks, "Young lady?"

Ziva smiles at her. "Yes?"

"What book was I just reading exactly?"

 **A/N: Stay tuned for more! :)**

 **(Writing two stories at once now so please be patient) Thank you all!**


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